Ingrid Bergman
Ingrid Birgman has been in many movies, such as Stromboli, Anastasia, Joan of Arc, Spellbound, and Notorious. But audiences mainly recognize her for her role in the classic movie, Casablanca. Like her her character IIsa, Bergman herself can be characterized as a siren or a damsal in distress. In Casablanca, the director Michael Cortez utilizes Ingrid Bergman as IIsa to illustrate that the duplicity of IIsa as two sides of the feminine as she seeks her true self showing that self-knowledge is essential to happiness. In Casablanca, ''Ingrid Bergman's character IIsa, is married to Laszlo, a Holocaust survivor. But when she and her husband enter Casablanca, she begins to seduce her old lover Rick, despite her marriage to Laszlo ("Casablanca"). Seduction, deception and the ability to be undenialbly irresistable makes IIsa fit the siren archetype. A siren can be described as a "woman men get excited by- on a sexual level and other levels ( Ellen T. White)." Not only does IIsa fit this sexual archetype, but Ingrid Bergman herslef fit this archetype. Ingrid was married to Petter Lindstrom, who was a dentist. In 1949 Bergman acted in the movie, Stromboli, which was directed by Roberto Rossellini. Bergman and Rossellini began a scandelous, romantic affair during the production of the film. Bergman latter divorced Lindstrom so that she could marry Rossellini ("The Official Ingrid Bergman Website"). She lost many of her American fans because they were angry at her for losing her angelic and wholesome image. But the affair helped Ingrid figure out who she was. On the talk show The Merry Griffin Show, Merry Griffin asked Ingrid if there was "bitterness" when she "looked back on what happened" to her in her life. Ingrid said, "No there was no bitterness. I dont have that in me." She felt guilty and humilliated that people called her an "evil woman", but she "stood up for what she had done and "faced the world". Although she had the affair, it made her stronger and she had three beautiful children with Rossellini. She rose up against adversity, and did not back down when people tried to tare her apart. IIsa also fits the damsal in distress archetype, this archetype explores women characters who "are beautiful, vulnerable and always in need of rescue by the knight in shining armor ("Damsal in Distress")." In the movie, IIsa is beautiful and becomes very vulnerable around Rick. This vulnerability, makes her appear weak and helpless. At the end of the movie, Rick saves IIsa by helping her and surprisingly her husband, escape to America (Casablanca). In Bergman's life, she to was very vulnerable and allowed herself to pursue a relationship with Rossellini. In a way he saved from her unhappy marriage with Lindstrom ("The Official Ingrid Bergman Website"). Ingrid's unique beauty made her very "appealing" to men. Almost all men she met wanted and yearned for her company. She could not help that she fell in love Rossellini, but the fact that she allowed their relationship to bloom exemplifys her weakness towards men and letting them play a romantic role in her life. Not only did her beauty and weakness for Rossellini made her weak, but Rossellini's role as the white knight in her life helped make her a damsal in distress. Her marriage with Lindstrom was falling apart and she was falling out of love with him. In a way, Rossellini saved her from her sorrowful marriage with Lindstrom ("The Official Ingrid Bergman Website"). After divorcing Lindstrom, people could see that Bergman was happier because of her marriage to Rossellini. This new happiness archtypes her in this category as well, because damsals are depicted to only being truly happy when they are with their prince or white knight. Works Cited "Casablanca." ''IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 10 Mar. 2013. "Damsel in Distress." : Archetype. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Mar. 2013. Ellen T. White. "A Conversation with Ellen T. White." Simply Irresistible. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Mar. 2013. "The Official Ingrid Bergman Web Site." The Official Ingrid Bergman Web Site. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Mar. 2013 Section heading Write the second section of your page here.